History

It was in July of the year 1900 that settlers from areas known then as Crapps Point, Omokoroa, and Te Puna Point got together and built their first school. This was a small one roomed building with a thatched roof and two rough blue gum poles used to support the verandah outside the only doorway of this unpretentious seat of learning. Situated on an eight acre block of land about a mile and a half from the end of Te Puna Point, the school was adequate in size to accommodate the 15 children of the eight families that were then residing in the district. It was here that Miss Harwood took up her post as teacher to children whose ages ranged widely – the older ones almost that of their teacher. Prior to this the family of the late Captain and Mrs. Crapp received their tuition from a governess and nearby children would also attend classes at the Crapp homestead.

With the opening of a public school at Te Puna Point, children of Omokoroa walked some three miles along the beach and at low tide would ford the tidal creek crossing over to Freeths Point, later known as Plummers Point and then proceeded to walk the remaining one and a half miles to school. Children living further up the Mungawai would walk over the mud flats at low tide to McClinchies and McMorrins farms in order to reach school. Horses were used whenever possible, and when the tide was high a dinghy was rowed by one of the older pupils starting off from Crapps and stopping at various points along the beach to pick up other children. Fern and scrub surrounded the school and children had great difficulty in locating their horses in the large paddock that was part of the school grounds. Working bees were organised and eventually the land was cleared and fences and trees were planted. Life was hard for the young school mistress in those day as most were unaccustomed to such isolation, and the first few years saw many changes to teachers. Miss O’Meara was the second teacher to come to the Omokoroa School and according to one of her pupils that I interviewed recently Miss O¹Meara was good to look at – dressed neatly in a long black fitting skirt and white frilly blouse; did her hair nicely too. She did not stay long however, as in the year 1902 she was replaced by a young man teacher – he was Mr. H.O. Cooney.

At this time another school at Lochheads road, Te Puna proper was built and Mr. Cooney was prevailed upon to divide his duties as teacher for three days a week at each school thus making Saturday also a day for lessons. It was whilst teaching at the Te Puna Point school that Mr. Cooney met his future wife, Miss Rosa Crapp. After giving up teaching, Mr. Cooney completed his law studies and later became a prominent barrister who devoted much of his life to serving the people in the Bay of Plenty.

With the growth of the district a larger school was necessary, and so in 1907 the second school was built on a sunny flat just below the old school site with a natural terrace leading down to what was later to become the
football grounds. The old school was afterwards identified as the old play shed or the old shelter shed.

The new building was approximately 24 x 14 ft with a high gabled roof (with exposed beams) and long narrow windows along each side which gave a view of Anderson’s orchard on the west and of fields and the sea on the east both equally distracting to the inattentive pupil. The name of the school was changed in 1915 from Te Puna Point School to Omokoroa School.

Other solo teachers to follow Mr. Cooney were Miss Battersby, Miss Young, Miss George, Miss Pile, Miss Whitaker, Miss Lochhead and Miss Bessie Butcher. Miss Butcher rode her horse out from her home at Judea every day and it is recorded that she at one time made the journey on horseback with her leg in splints having broken it after a fall from her horse. She was the last to hold the position as sole lady teacher of the school. During the latter part of the six years she taught here, an assistant teacher was assigned to her – Miss Brewer (now Mrs. G. V. Mansel of Tauranga). Miss Brewer boarded with the Kirk family from Monday to Friday. Miss Butcher at this time came to school each day in a gig so Miss Brewer was able to get a
ride back to Tauranga for the week end.

Two years after the end of the First World War, a young returned soldier took up the position of headmaster. He was the late Mr. John H Edmondson.

In February 1923 Miss Joan Mirrielees was engaged as infant teacher. In July of that year the classroom was extended a further ten feet and when completed a heavy drape separated the infant pupils from the Standard 3 to Form 2 pupils. School was carried on in a tent during this time.

Mr. Edmondson married a local girl, Miss Vera Anderson, and their house was built not far away from the school, and for 15 years OJohnny¹ steered his pupils through their schooling days. The Edmondson’s family of five were all pupils of the school until 1935 when Mr. Edmondson was appointed to the Hikurangi School in North Auckland. Mr. Edmondson was a keen cricketer and tennis player and gave much of his spare time to these sports on, and off, the playground.

With the advent of the construction of the railway line from Paeroa to Tauranga in 1926 to 1928 the Armstrong Whitworth Camp sprang up at the Point. This was situated where the present railway station still stands, and children from the camp attended the Omokoroa School which was by then very overcrowded. Once again a Marquee was erected – this time a much larger one was set up on the football field and work was immediately started to extend the school building a further 26 ft adding a lean-to porch and study. The children, of course, found their classroom in the big tent a new and exciting experience and although none thought of untying any guy ropes, the addition of a little sunlight was thought to be essential by one bright pupil. Silence reigned when the flaps¹ were pulled aside one sunny morning and the grounds inside the tent flooded with sunlight – the blue sky revealed through a gaping split in the canvas roof. Very little was said but Johnny as he was affectionately called behind his back (and sometimes not so affectionately) was noted for his quickness to assess a situation.
On this occasion no one was accused, questioned or punished, but when the weather changed and rain poured in, the desks were all moved aside to where it was dry – one solitary desk with one child seated in it remained
completely exposed to the elements. Child psychology at its best maybe?

The school roll fell back once more with the completion of the railway in1928 and the larger families which seemed to be part of the early life ofthe district declined – added to this children from Omokoroa Point began attending a makeshift classroom which was set up on the large verandah of Mr.Cyril Gane’s home while negotiations were taking place for a school on thatPoint. This was the beginning of Schools being named Omokoroa No. 1 and Omokoroa No. 2. However, in 1930 there was another small rise in attendance when the children of two or three Whakamarama families transferred to our No.1 school for a while. For many years it was at our school in November of each year that Form II pupils from the three schools (No. 1, No. 2 and Whakamarama) came to sit their proficiency exams.

It was not until 1956 that a school house was built and when the parent teacher association was formed in 1956 fresh appeals were made by them to the South Auckland Education Board for a new school. It was largely due to the P.T.A.’s foresight and tenacity to pursue this objective that the present school was officially opened at the beginning of 1959. It is situated on the flat where once were tennis and basketball courts with the entrance half way down Emeny Road or Uncle Willies Lane as earlier people knew it. Money was raised by every conceivable method which, with a subsidy provided by the Government, made possible the additional amenities of the hard tennis courts and swimming pool. It is now seen as a well equipped and established school, all this being a delight to the pupils and teachers and a monument to the untiring efforts of parents and residents to supply their children and future generations with a school worthy of their district. With the completion of the new school, tenders were called for the purchase and removal of the old school. This was granted to the Plummer Bros, and was dismantled and part was erected on Jesse and Enid Plummer’s farm which today belongs to Bill and Colleen Marshall. The old school is still there and looks much the same in outward appearance but is now serving a different role. A storage place for farm implements and hay bales, a haven for sparrows and a nesting place for colonies of starlings.

A school bus transports the children to and from school now with the exception of those living on Station Road. These children mostly ride their bikes to school on a tar sealed road. The number of children on the school role at present is 54 and the teaching staff is Mr. Euan Ross (Principal), Mrs. Lois Harris (Assistant Teacher) and Mrs. Betty Baker (Teachers’ Aid).

To all of you, especially those who were unable to be present with us to celebrate this our 75th Anniversary we hope this booklet will help to recapture memories of school days, school mates, teachers and residents who
have all played their part in forming a history that is ours.

Visitors, including past pupils, committees, teachers, friends and family from all over New Zealand, converged on Omokoroa No 1 School during Queen’s Birthday weekend 1975, to help celebrate the school’s 75th Jubilee.